1.5m Farmers to Benefit From 2016/2017 GES’

Posted By: epoteagribiz.com 

on: Nov 18, 2016 

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Shehu Ahmed has said that 1.5million farmers are to benefit from the 2016/2017 Growth Enhancement Scheme(GES) dry season farming.

He further revealed that the focus of the scheme would be on four major crops including rice, wheat, maize and groundnuts.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Director-General of the National Seed Council, Dr. Philip Ojo stated this at the opening ceremony of the Growth Enhancement Scheme Stakeholders Preparatory Meeting on 2016/2017 Dry Season Farming in Abuja yesterday.

He said, “The support would include their input packages which would be available at redemption centres to ensure maximum output while a total number of 1,500,580 farmers are targeted to be supported under value chains crops in the 2016/2017 dry season, namely rice -1,197,240 farmers, maize- 65,055 farmers, wheat- 234,445 farmers, groundnut – 3,840 farmers”

Enumerating the challenges faced with the implementation of the 2016, wet season GES, he said, “They ranged from the problems associated with the use of tablets for redemption, late deployment of inputs due to scarcity of the products ,non- settlement of the outstanding claims of agro- dealers and input suppliers among others. The
Permanent Secretary expressed the hope that the meeting would provide an avenue for the implementation plan of the 2016/2017 dry season GES to be thoroughly discussed and finalised”.

The PS further revealed that the federal government had also rolled out measures that would be taken to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the present administration.

Source:: EPOTE AGRIBIZ LIMITED

1.5m Farmers to Benefit From 2016/2017 GES’

Posted By: epoteagribiz.com 

on: Nov 18, 2016 

The permanent secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Shehu Ahmed has said that 1.5million farmers are to benefit from the 2016/2017 Growth Enhancement Scheme(GES) dry season farming.

He further revealed that the focus of the scheme would be on four major crops including rice, wheat, maize and groundnuts.
The Permanent Secretary who was represented by the Director-General of the National Seed Council, Dr. Philip Ojo stated this at the opening ceremony of the Growth Enhancement Scheme Stakeholders Preparatory Meeting on 2016/2017 Dry Season Farming in Abuja yesterday.

He said, “The support would include their input packages which would be available at redemption centres to ensure maximum output while a total number of 1,500,580 farmers are targeted to be supported under value chains crops in the 2016/2017 dry season, namely rice -1,197,240 farmers, maize- 65,055 farmers, wheat- 234,445 farmers, groundnut – 3,840 farmers”

Enumerating the challenges faced with the implementation of the 2016, wet season GES, he said, “They ranged from the problems associated with the use of tablets for redemption, late deployment of inputs due to scarcity of the products ,non- settlement of the outstanding claims of agro- dealers and input suppliers among others. The
Permanent Secretary expressed the hope that the meeting would provide an avenue for the implementation plan of the 2016/2017 dry season GES to be thoroughly discussed and finalised”.

The PS further revealed that the federal government had also rolled out measures that would be taken to ensure transparency and accountability in the implementation of the Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) of the present administration.

Source:: EPOTE AGRIBIZ LIMITED

TRUTH BE TOLD, YOU EITHER LIVE 365 DAYS A YEAR........."

 Truth be told, you either live 365 days a year or you live one day 365 times. The choice is yours. it's over 46 days left for 2016 to end. Think of 2017 and make plans using the following:

1.      LAW OF PURPOSE

 Before 2017 starts take some time out to play back what you’ve achieved this year and then as a progression write down and memorize what you want for 2017. If you don’t know and define where you are going, then everywhere you get to would look like it. 

2017 should be a year of deep discoveries. A great life is lived inside-out, from you to others, giving. It is one that can turn mirrors into windows. In 2017 – START RIGHT, CHART YOUR COURSE.

2.      THE LAW OF VISION

 In 2016, if you’d be limited, it will not be by your abilities, but by – YOUR VISION. Have a big picture of what you want to achieve in 2017 before it even starts and then ensure that there is a progressive realization of each of those set goals. It’s vital that you do this.

3.      THE LAW OF KNOWLEDGE

 Bullets have killed a lot of men, but ignorance has killed much more people than bullets ever will! Maybe next year is about time you went back to school, or a certification or a crash course in line with what you want to be. 2017 holds massive growth for those who know. To grow more, to do more – LEARN MORE.

4.      THE LAW OF BRANDING

     

Define who you want to be, seen and how you’d want to be looked at next year. From aesthetics to attitude to brand associations. Please understand that the only thing more important than what you’d be doing or selling in 2017 is what the buyer believes he is buying – BE BRANDED

5. THE LAW OF CHARACTER

       

Be firm. Do not overvalue what you are not and undervalue what you are as well as what you do. In 2017, we will become what we have repeatedly done – CHARACTER

      6.  THE LAW OF VALUE AND RESULTS

    

In 2017, please don’t be a busy bee like you’ve always been. In the past, you may have worked hard, now it’s time to work smart. Look at the value chains of your life; recognize the things that have added the most value and things that have wasted your time. And then from this, know what to start, what to stop and what to keep doing. In our pursuit for wealth, value is the currency. But its glaring that people don’t pay for efforts, they pay for results – in 2017, be result oriented, add VALUE

   7. THE LAW OF PEOPLE

      

 2017 is the year of influence, the year of people. It is that year that the relationships you have built in the past years would come to play. My advice is that you know and stick with the right people. In 2017, how you NET work will determine your NET worth. Begin to use your built connections and goodwill.  And if you don’t have enough of that, then begin to build one. Remember, PEOPLE – are the greatest assets for 2017, invest in them.

.    8.  THE LAW OF CREATIVITY

Go across boundaries. When we all think alike, then no one is thinking -BE CREATIVELY DIFFERENT in 2017. Think out of the box, as a matter of fact, think like there’s no box.

9. THE LAW OF SACRIFICE

With austerity measures powered by the decline in the economy, I’m afraid that in 2017, there’s only one way to succeed, sacrifice! People who have an edge are those who have made sacrifices or have started making them. To go up, choose something hard to give up – you may need to DENY TODAY’S DESIRES, TO ACHIEVE TOMORROW’S DREAM.

11. THE LAW OF INNOVATIONS AND TECHNOLOGY

If what you’ve done in the last years still looks big to you, then you haven’t done much this year. If your process, lifestyle and pattern don’t make things better, safer, simpler, work faster and life easier, then it’s not it – REPLACE IT

12. THE LAW OF ORGANIC FARMING

“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man”—George Washington. The best way to feed a growing world while, at the same time, reducing the amount of land, water and energy required, is Organic farming. 

             

Over the world, the Organic urban farming movement is beginning to scale, and Smart Framing would not only solve the world hunger, our smart farming system would enhance everyone’s desire to own commercially viable farms, growing nutritious food in a sustainable, profitable manner. Start an Organic Home Garden in your compound today. 

12. THE LAW OF PROCESS AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT

You are expected to grow daily, not in a day – KAIZEN. Always look for 3 things at every point in your life, what to START, what to STOP and what to keep DOING.

13. THE LAW OF MANAGEMENT

In whatever you do in 2017, be consistent.  Follow through. Also, create a professionally structured mode of operation and control. – have a FUNCTIONAL STRUCTURE for what you do

14. THE LAW OF LEADERSHIP

Be close to the greater ones you know for their lives and success stories hold templates to where you need to be. Get a mentor or get closer to the one you already have. Follow the steps of great leaders and successful people before you.

15. THE LAW OF MARKETING

Sell yourself to the world in 2017. Let them know you and what you can offer. In marketing, positioning is everything – create the right PERCEPTION for yourself in 2017

16. THE LAW OF PERSEVERANCE

Don’t give up for 2017 is a much better year. If you do what you need to do and then try your best one more time, you’d succeed this time around. Perseverance is trying 19 times and succeeding the 20th. Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did. Its 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.. – In 2017, be in STEADY DETERMINATION

18.  THE LAW OF DEMOGRAPHY

Create your own niche in 2017. For what you do, strategically find and map out the people that need what you have to offer and you’ve found the business and product to succeed.

20.  THE LAW OF GENEROSITY

The truth is, it’s another year is clocking closer and we are not getting any younger. It’s a New Year means that we have one more year less to live. As we grow older, great people realize that a good life and success comes from not how much we can take but how much we can give. Maybe this year is the best time to see what you can also begin to give back to life and others. As we grow older, what we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains – SHARE MORE IN 2017.

We are Epote! We keep our brand promise. 

AFLATOXIN ON RED MEAT- A MAJOR CAUSE OF CANCER & EARLY DEATH

What are aflatoxins?

The aflatoxins are a group of chemically similar toxic fungal metabolites (mycotoxins) produced by certain moulds of the genus Aspergillus growing on a number of raw food commodities. Aflatoxins are highly toxic compounds and can cause both acute and chronic toxicity in humans and many other animals. Their importance was first established in 1960 when 100,000 turkeys and other poultry in the UK died in a single event. The cause of this was eventually traced to a toxic contaminant in groundnut meal used in the bird’s feed. The contaminant was later named aflatoxin.

The aflatoxins consist of about 20 similar compounds belonging to a group called the difuranocoumarins, but only four are naturally found in foods. These are aflatoxins B₁, B₂, G₁ and G₂. Aflatoxin B₁ is the most commonly found in food and also the most toxic. When lactating cattle and other animals ingest aflatoxins in contaminated feed, toxic metabolites can be formed and may be present in milk. These metabolites, aflatoxin M₁ and M₂, are potentially important contaminants in dairy products.

What foods can be contaminated?

Aflatoxins may be present in a wide range of food commodities, particularly cereals, oilseeds, spices and tree nuts. Maize, groundnuts (peanuts), pistachios, red meat, brazil's, chillies, black pepper, dried fruit and figs are all known to be high risk foods for aflatoxin contamination, but the toxins have also been detected in many other commodities. Milk, cheese and other dairy products are at risk of contamination by aflatoxin M. The highest levels are usually found in commodities from warmer regions of the world where there is a great deal of climatic variation.

It is important to recognise that, although it is primary food commodities that usually become contaminated with aflatoxins by mould growth, these toxins are very stable and may pass through quite severe processes. For this reason they can be a problem in processed foods, such as peanut butter.

How do they affect human health?

At high enough exposure levels, aflatoxins can cause acute toxicity, and potentially death, in mammals, birds and fish, as well as in humans. The liver is the principal organ affected, but high levels of aflatoxin have also been found in the lungs, kidneys, brains and hearts of individuals dying of acute aflatoxicosis. Acute necrosis and cirrhosis of the liver is typical, along with haemorrhaging and oedema. LD₅₀ (lethal dose) values for animals vary between 0.5 and 10 mg/kg body weight.

Chronic toxicity is probably more important from a food safety point of view, certainly in more developed regions of the world. Aflatoxin B₁ is a very potent carcinogen and a mutagen in many animals, and therefore potentially in humans, and the liver is again the main target organ. Ingestion of low levels over a long period has been implicated in primary liver cancer, chronic hepatitis, jaundice, cirrhosis and impaired nutrient conversion. Aflatoxins may also play a role in other conditions, such as Reye’s syndrome and kwashiorkor (a childhood condition linked to malnutrition).  Less is known about the chronic toxicity of aflatoxin G₁ and M₁, but these are also thought to be carcinogens, though probably a little less potent than B₁.

Little is known about the level of dietary exposure to aflatoxins necessary to affect health, especially in humans, and diagnosis of chronic toxicity is very difficult. It is generally agreed that the best approach is to minimise the levels in all foods as far as is technically possible and to assume that any dietary exposure is undesirable.

Are they stable in foods?

Aflatoxins are quite stable compounds and survive relatively high temperatures with little degradation. Their heat stability is influenced by other factors, such as moisture level and pH, but heating or cooking processes cannot be relied upon to destroy aflatoxins. For example, roasting green coffee at 180^oC for 10 minutes gave only a 50% reduction in aflatoxin B₁ level.

The stability of aflatoxin M₁ in milk fermentation processes has also been studied and although appreciable losses do occur, significant quantities of the toxin were found to remain in both cheese and yoghurt.

How can they be controlled?

The ability of aflatoxin-producing fungi to grow on a wide range of food commodities and the stability of aflatoxins in foods mean that control is best achieved by measures designed to prevent the contamination of crops in the field and during storage, or detection and removal of contaminated material from the food supply chain. 

For primary producers

Pre-harvest control of aflatoxins is best achieved through general Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) to include such measures as:

• Land preparation, crop waste removal, Azomite application and crop rotation
• Use of fungus- and pest-resistant crop varieties
• Control of insect pests
• Control of fungal infection
• Prevention of drought stress by irrigation
• Harvesting at the correct moisture level and stage of maturity

The most important and effective control measure in post-harvest handling and storage is the control of moisture content and hence, the water activity of the crop. Ensuring that susceptible crops are harvested at a safe moisture level, or are dried to a safe level immediately after harvest is vital to prevent mould growth and aflatoxin production during storage. The safe moisture level varies between crops – for maize it is approximately 14% at 20^oC, but for groundnuts it is much lower, about 7%. These moisture levels must be maintained during storage and transport.

It is also important to ensure that the moisture content does not vary too much in a bulk-stored crop. Small localised ‘wet spots’ can develop mould growth and these can extend to neighbouring areas as the fungus produces metabolic water during respiration. Insect and animal pest damage can also act as focal points for fungal growth.

For food processors

Physical separation of contaminated material can be an effective means of reducing aflatoxin levels in contaminated commodities. For example, colour sorting is often used to remove mouldy peanuts from bulk shipments. Density segregation, mechanical separation and the removal of fines and screenings from grain and nut shipments can also be effective measures.

Chemical decontamination methods have been investigated, especially for material used in animal feed, but most of the methods investigated are impractical, or produce toxic by-products. Biological decontamination has also been considered, and a single bacterial species, Flavobacterium aurantiacum, has been shown to remove aflatoxin B₁B1 From peanuts and corn.

Although decontamination methods for aflatoxin M₁ in milk and dairy products have also been investigated, most of these are not practical for the dairy industry. The only really effective control is to minimise the contamination of materials used in animal feed for dairy cows.

For enforcement agencies

Many countries monitor imported commodities that are susceptible to aflatoxin contamination, such as pistachios and Brazil nuts, by sampling and analysis. A number of analytical methods have been developed based on TLC, HPLC and ELISA and there are also rapid screening kits available. However, moulds and aflatoxins in bulk food shipments tend to be highly heterogeneous in their distribution and it is essential to ensure that an adequate sampling plan is used to monitor imported materials.

In some commodities, such as figs, aflatoxins fluoresce strongly under UV-light and this can be used as a rapid screening test for high concentrations.

From the foregoing, it's no longer news that the solution to this trend caused by Aflatoxin is AZOMITE. To place order for Azomite call our customer service helplines on 08030997843 | 09096788774. 

AZOMITE® is mined from an ancient volcanic ash deposit in central Utah, USA. Scientists believe that the unique chemical makeup of AZOMITE® was created when an ancient volcano erupted and the ash settled into a seabed. The combination of seawater, fed by hundreds of rivers rich in minerals, and the rare and abundant minerals present in volcanic ash created the AZOMITE® mineral composition unique to its deposit. Today, this geologic characteristic is an outcropping known as a "hogback". The minerals are gathered and packaged by AZOMITE® Mineral Products, Inc. for distribution all over the world.

 The combination of seawater, fed by rivers rich in minerals and rare earth elements present in volcanic ash created what is known as the AZOMITE® deposit.

AZOMITE® (pronounced ā-zō-mite) is an acronym created and registered as a trademark by its founder, Rollin Anderson, for the"A to Z Of Minerals Including Trace Elements".

 Our interest is to ensure good health through the distribution of organic fertilizer known as AZOMITE (which is natural) free from chemicals, ensuring that it gets down to the peasant farmers through our well designed distribution channels. 

Happy Reading
Epote Agribiz Limited

THEME: UNLIMITED OPPORTUNITIES IN ORGANIC FARMING, AGRO-EXPO, AZOMITE DISTRIBUTORSHIP, AGRIC VALUE CHAIN & ANIMAL FARMING

We have a dream, that Nigeria will produce more rice than Thailand, more cocoa than Cote d’Ivoire, more palm oil than Malaysia and abundant wheat and sugar for local consumption. We have a dream that the era of malnutrition and hunger in Nigeria has come to an end. ‎

We have a dream that Nigeria’s agricultural produce will meet international standard as it will be largely sought after, and that our agricultural institutions will become one of the best in the world. You can position yourself now by leveraging on the amazing opportunities provided by Epote Agribiz Limited! It’s no longer news that most white collar companies are diversifying into Agric Value Chain Business and Agro-Export.

As a result, companies are investing big time in Agric value chain... Hence the need for a Professional expertise... who has the practical skills and knowledge to help them start-up and increase sales at a reduced cost.

Don't Miss The...

EPOTE AGRIBIZ BREAKFAST MEET-UP
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

Organic/Smart Farming
Learn how to make money from Azomite business Platform
Join the Azomite Farmers Hub
Professional & Customized Training
Nursery/Home Garden
Snail Farming | Plantain Transformation + lots more

Admission: FREE (Strictly by Invitation) - Send your name, email and mobile contact to 

08030997843 | 09096788774

Date: Sat. November 5th, 2016.
Time: 10:00am – 1:00pm
Venue: De Choice Fast Food. 2, Mary Slessor Road, Beside NEPA Head Office, Calabar, Cross River State

PS: If you know a family member or friend that can benefit from this training, kindly forward this invitation to them.

Share this event on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp

We hope you can make it!
Cheers,

Epote Agribiz Limited
www.azomite.com